Controlling Tinnitus: What works for you?

Typo: “Pulsatile” tinnitus.
When I want to nap, I listen to something soothing, turn down volume, and set timer on the podcast device for 15 minutes, which is usually enough time for me to fall asleep.
Otherwise, I’m listening to a wide array of things, mostly political or health-related.
At night, I’ve learned (through CBT?) that if I’m tired, I’ll fall asleep….don’t think about it much anymore, but it was rough going for a while.
You can PM me for specific podcast titles or anything else.
Hope this helped!

Hello @velaschopen and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I can see that @mslw has reached out to you with their experience.

Are you considering using using Tinnitus Retraining Therapy or have you just recently started?

I received Pfizer. I’m 66 and just received second dose on August 15. I waited,stayed safe because I just new a booster would happen. After both my ears have been worst. Today is my best day but it did intensify my ringing both times. Wish CDC would list all side effects. I know many folks who have suffered all sorts of different issues long term but are happy to be vaccinated. My hope is after time it will level out. I’m not taking any drugs. I’ve been through that years ago and side effects were not worth it. Best of luck. I think it will settle down..Joanne

Sorry to hear you had tinnitus after your vaccine. I saw your wish that CDC list all side effects. I suspect that this may happen in the future, but with the new vaccine, data is still being collected and evaluated.

In VAERS there were 9000 reports of tinnitus after vaccine - around 2% of all VAERS reports, and about 4000 consulted a doctor. But out of over 200,000,000 people who have received vaccine, that amounts to about 5/100,000.

I suspect that worsening of many previous conditions after vaccine is the result of our immune systems ramping up, and sending whatever caused the condition in the first place to get worse temporarily. Thinking back to vaccination, my tinnitus got worse, but I didn't even connect the two because just about anything from a cold to loud noise can change it too. As I sit here today, I can hear the crickets, but yesterday the ringing was so loud I didn't.

Here is some food for thought:
If EVERY potential side effect from sore arm and fever, to tinnitus, to neuropathy, no matter how rare, were listed at the door of the vaccine clinic, how many people would turn away?
How many people would end up with a Covid infection and far worse consequences instead?

I hope as your system settles down and the tinnitus recedes to its previous leve.
Sue

Hi Sue, I agree my tinnitus can go from soft to loud very quickly from a thousand different things for sure.
Transparency is very important to so many people. In my opinion I think it would have been good to be prepared. It would not have changed my mind. I retired from medical and have many nurse,doctor, PT and other friends that all converse on a regular basis.
This group, though rather small feel many are still not participating because they don’t know enough. My job is to try to educate my friends and family as best I can with all the info we have gathered. I hope to help even one person a day have the info they don’t to get vaccinated. That’s all we can do. In the end it’s very personal. I woke up better today so maybe it’s back to my normal, hope so.
Thanks…Joanne

Hi @amandajro I am considering it; an ENT I know wrote to me about it and I have done some reading on it. I must add that I have had tinntius for 12 days since taking a vaccine jab; my ENT friend mentioned that one can consider trying it after 3-6 months if tinnitus does not heal (other possibilities would include SSRI), but why wait? I understand it's important to develop an emotinallly neutral attitude towards it so why not begin asap?

I'd like to know that answer to your question too, @velaschopen. Might you be able to ask your friend? From what I've read, tinnitus retraining requires a commitment of 12-24 months. It may take as long as two to three months to notice any changes and as much as a year before the tinnitus is no longer noticeable.

Mine is very loud sometimes and interferes with my hearing loss in one ear..it also changes in pitch from loud ringing to very light silver bells. I am experimenting with controling it by listening for a rhythm or tune and turning it into music or a familiar background noise like waves on the seashore. I do this to fall asleep sometimes. Lots of time it seems to go almost quiet when I meditate or am working in the studio. It is triggered if I am tense and there is loud background noise(trucks, acid rock, loud tv) and I can't hear what the person speaking is saying. Worse if the person is angry. I always had a sort of high pitched bacground sound and as a child and I always thought it was the sound of the empty space between objects. But now at 83 this last yr. it has become worse....due to??? I am wondering if anyone has experimented with bio-feedback? Which is used for Migraines and other things.

Wind! It is another of my triggers. I just realized yesterday & today why I hate to be outside when it is windy and hate being on a boat or in a car with open windows (and it's been so for years.) My tinnitus gets louder and more high-pitched the harder the wind blows. Now I just need to figure out how to mask it.
Sue

I tried to listen to calming noise from an app called sleep sounds and I was very happy. The tone in my head went away for awhile!